gradingrubric

	thesis	Evidence	Argument & Analysis	Expression [organization, grammar & Syntax]	Form & Style
E X C E P T I O N A L	- Clear, strong, well-defined, FOCUSED thesis in intro	- ACCURATE INFERENCES drawn from primary & secondary sources - Excellent use of all types of material, e.g., monographs, scholarly articles, etc. - Accurate use of wide range of PRIMARY AND SECONDARY sources - Citations from a variety of sources - Well-chosen examples - Fully appreciates, understands, and recognizes background for bias of sources used - Adequate citations to allow reader to form critical opinion of range and use of sources	- Effective introduction - Argument convincingly & adequately supports thesis - Takes account of interpretations that diverge from one's own thesis - Uses other historians' work appropriately to frame argument - Clear, strong conclusion summarizing arguments - Causal connections clear - Insightful and original ideas - Excellent command of topic and its historical context - Convincing analysis	-- Excellent ORGANIZATION - Skillful and sophisticated use of language - Few or no spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and grammatical problems - Chooses words aptly to express exact meaning - Smooth transitions b/w WELL-CONSTRUCTED AND CAREFULLY ORGANIZED paragraphs and ideas	- Properly formatted - Adheres to appropriate rules of citation in footnotes and bibliography
T H O R O U G H	- Clear, SOUND thesis - Consistent presentation of thesis	- Appropriate AND ACCURATE evidence - Good use of all types of PRIMARY AND SECONDARY material - Appreciates, understands, and recognizes background for bias of sources used - Few minor problems with examples and citation	- Few minor problems with argument and causal connections - Good sense of ideas - One or two minor factual or conceptual problems - Good command of topic and its historical context	-- Good ORGANIZATION - Reads well but few minor grammatical or stylistic problems - Few problems with sentence constructions, word choice, transitions, punctuation	- Good presentation - One or two minor problems with formatting, citation, footnotes, or bibliography
A D E Q U A T E	- FAIR thesis	- Limited use of PRIMARY AND SECONDARY sources/evidence - SOME problems with accuracy, citation, selection of examples	- Partial development - Some problems with argument - Fair introduction and/or conclusion - Fair analysis -- FAIR COMMAND OF TOPIC AND ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT - Some unsupported or undeveloped generalizations and ideas	- Some problems with organization and arrangement - Some grammatical and stylistic problems with transitions, sentence structure, word choice	- Fair presentation - More frequent problems with formatting, citation, footnotes, or bibliography
I N A D E Q U A T E	- WEAK, vague or peripheral thesis	- Insufficient use of PRIMARY AND SECONDARY sources and evidence	- Illogical arrangement of ideas - Frequently narrates or summarizes - Simplistic -- TANGENTIAL COMMAND OF TOPIC AND ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT	-- WEAK ORGANIZATION - Major grammatical or typographical errors which distract from argument - Frequently uses inexact words, clichés, colloquialisms	- Major problems with formatting, citation, footnotes, or bibliography
U N A C C E P T A B L E	- No thesis	- Fails to cite sources or plagiarizes - Inaccurate information	- Little or no development of any kind of argument - No or little analysis - Failure to understand or undertake assignment	-- LITTLE OR NO ORGANIZATION - Numerous and serious grammatical and typographical errors which result in incoherence	- Numerous and serious problems with formatting, citation, footnotes, or bibliography

AT TOP:

Thesis: The degree to which the thesis:

Is clear, focused, well-defined, and placed within a chronological, thematic and/or historiographical context.

Evidence: The degree to which the writer's response:

Draws accurately on a variety of primary and secondary sources, oral and/or written.
Takes into account constraints and biases of sources.
Is presented and cited accurately and appropriately.
Adequately cites sources to allow reader to form critical opinion of range and use of sources.

Argument and Analysis: The degree to which the argument:

Supports thesis.
Takes account of and draws from interpretations that diverge from one's own thesis.
Is constructed with appropriate evidence from the sources.
Argument is summarized in a clear and effective conclusion pertaining to the thesis.
Sequence of thought is readily apparent.

The degree to which the analysis:

Makes clear causal connections.
Analysis effectively evaluates and synthesizes evidence.
Recognizes the complexity or absence of evidence.

Expression [Organization, Grammar & Syntax]: The degree to which the paper:

Is well-organized and logically developed.
Has well-constructed paragraphs and smooth transitions.

Chooses words aptly to express exact meaning.

Uses correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Form & Style: The degree to which the paper:

Is well-formatted and adheres to appropriate rules of citation, footnote, and bibliography.
Makes appropriate use of electronic technology and exhibits competency in its use.